Air-brake handle.



S. ROU-SH & C. H. KENYON.

AIR BRAKE HANDLE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 28, 1914.

' 1,142,629. I Patented June 8, 1915.

Fi i.

' IN V EN TORS Charles E lien 0n & 6%- BY 4% ATTORNEY/ THE NORRIS PETERS C0,, PHOTO-LITHCL. WASHINGTON. D. C.

SQUIRE BOUSH AND CHARLES H. KENYON, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

AIR-BRAKE HANDLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

- Patented June 8, 1915.

Application filed December 28, 1914. Serial No. 879,313.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, SQUIRE RoUsrr and CHARLES H. KENYON, citizens of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Air-Brake Handles, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in handles for air brakes.

It is very important that a motorman, or other user of an air brake, should be able to so manipulate the brake that a current of compressed air shall flow through the valve of precisely the proper magnitude to transmit the proper pressure to the brakes to produce the necessary friction, and no more or less, upon the wheels. If this is done, a motorman can control the movement of his car with the greatest precision. However, as brake handles are now constructed and used, such delicacy of manipulation is impossible. The reason is that a handle is used which merely has a square, or other angular, hole to fit on the stem of the brake valve. Even when the stem and handle are both new the latter does not fit exactly on the former, for necessarily a certain amount of lost motion must be provided in order to insure that the handle, which has not been previously mechanically fitted to the valve stem, will go over or fit on said valve stem. By wear, both the valve stem is reduced in thickness and the hole in the handle is enlarged so that on both accounts this lost motion increases. Such lost motion renders any delicate manipulation of the valve impossible.

It is the object of our invention to provide a brake handle by means of which, notwithstanding any wear that may take place, the valve stem can be moved without any lost motion whatever and the stream of compressed air passing through the valve can be regulated with the greatest nicety.

Moreover valve stems vary greatly in size, so that a handle which will fit on a stem at one end of the car will perhaps not fit on that at the other end thereof.

A further object of our invention is there fore to provide a brake handle which will fit without any lost motion upon a valve stem of any size.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a side elevation of our improved air brake handle; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section thereof on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Figs. 3 and 4 are transverse sections on the lines 33 and 4.4L respectively of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates a pair of jaws which, when fitted together, form a hole 2, of a shape to fit around a valve stem, said jaws having depending portions 3, so that, when placed together the jaws are of the general form of the operating end of the air brake handle now so commonly in use. In one of said jaws at its front end is secured a pin 5 adapted to enter a recess 4 in the other jaw and insure proper registry of the jaws with one another. On the inner side of thehole 2, the jaws are formed with recesses 6 in which is received a compressed coiled spring 7 which spreads the jaws apart from each other. Said jaws are formed with stem sections 8 which, when fitted together, form a round stem, slightly tapering from the jaws, and threaded at its free end, as shown at 9. Said threaded end- 9 of the stem is screwed into a square nut 10, which is contained in angular recesses 11 formed in the inner surfaces of two semicylindrical handle sections 12, secured together at their ends by ferrules 13 and 14, and having within their front ends, around the stem sections, a conical metal sleeve 15 having a flange 16 to which the front ferrule 13 is secured by screws.

The coiled spring 7 maintains the two jaws spread as far apart as is permitted by the engagement of the stem sections with the sleeve 15. The motorman places the jaw sections around the stem of a brake valve, and turns the handle in a right-handed direction. Since the nut, being contained in angular recesses in the handle, must turn with the handle, the turning of the handle has the eifect of drawing the stem inwardly into the handle, thereby contracting the jaw sections, and causing the jaw to fit as tightly as may be desired around the valve stem.

By this construction, the same handle can be made to fit very tightly on to any valve stem. Moreover, diminution in thickness by wear of the valve stem and laws will not in the least detract from the efiiciency of the device, as in all cases the jaws can be caused to grip the valve stem.

By means of this air brake handle the motorman can vary the size of the opening in the brake valve to permit air of the exact pressure desired to be applied to the brakes, and therefore has much better control of the car than with the ordinary brake handle.

We claim 1. In a device of the character described, a pair of jaws formed with a hole to fit on an air brake valve stem or the like, and having integral therewith stem sections which when placed together form a threaded stem, a hollow handle for receiving said stem, the cavity in said stem having an enlargement in a mediate portion thereof, and a nut to receive said threaded stem held in said enlargement to prevent rotary and longitudinal movement in either direction.

2. In a device of the character described, a pair of jaws formed with a hole to fit on an air brake valve stem or the like, and having integral therewith stem sections, said sections when placed together forming a threaded stem, a nut on said threaded stem and a handle made in sections and having a recess to receive said stem and having an angular enlargement to receive the nut to prevent longitudinal movement thereof relatively to the handle.

8. In a device of the character described, a pair of aws formed with a hole to fit on an air brake valve stem or the like, a spring for normally separating said jaws, said jaws having formed integral therewith stem sections, said sections when placed together forming a round stem, said stem being threaded, a nut on said threaded portion of the stem, and a handle having a recess in which said stem is received, and having also means for preventing the nut moving longitudinally with reference to the handle.

4:. In a device of the character described, a pair of jaws formed with a hole to fit on an air brake valve stem or the like, a spring for normally separating said jaws, said aws having formed integral therewith stem sections, said sections when placed together forming a round stem, said stem being threaded, a nut on said threaded portion of the stem, and a handle made in sections, said handle having a recess to receive said stem, said sections having angular recesses to receive the nut and prevent longitudinal movement thereof relatively to the handle.

5. In a device of the character described, a pair of jaws formed with a hole to fit on an air brake valve stem or the like, a spring for normally separating said jaws, said jaws having formed integral therewith stem sections, said sections when placed together forming a round stem, said stem being threaded, a nut on said threaded portion of the stem, a handle made in sections, said handle having a recess to receive said stem, said sections having angular recesses to receive the nut and prevent longitudinal movement thereof relatively to the handle and a metal sleeve of the same taper as the stem and secured to the handle at the entrance to said recess.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in the presence of two sub scribing witnesses.

SQUIRE ROUSH. CHARLES H. KENYON.

Witnesses:

FRANCIS M. IVRIGHT, D. B. RICHARDS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

